Nolo’s Bankruptcy & Foreclosure Blog

In an earlier post I warned that filing bankruptcy might make it more difficult to obtain a mortgage modification from Countrywide or other lenders while you are under the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court. I suggested that it might be a good idea to hold off on filing bankruptcy if at all possible until you see whether a foreclosure workout with your lender is possible.

On October 17, however, in a letter to all mortgage lenders who hold FHA-insured loans (HUD Mortagee Letter 2008-32), the Department of Housing and Urban Development has made it clear that loss-mitigation efforts should move forward despite the fact that the mortgagor is in bankruptcy.

While the HUD letter doesn't constrain holders of non-FHA insured mortgages such as Bank of America/Countrywide, these and other lenders will often follow HUD policies, making it likely that you won't miss out on a mortgage modification opportunity if you decide that filing bankruptcy is in your best interest.

Of course, it would make sense for you to contact your lender to see whether it will be following this new HUD policy or whether your bankruptcy will take you out of the running for a mortgage modification. It also makes sense for you to check with a HUD-certified housing counselor by calling 1-888-995-HOPE.

To learn more about timing a bankruptcy filing wisely, see Nolo's article Should I File Bankruptcy Now or Wait?.

A reviewer of my new foreclosure book took me to task for underestimating how difficult it had become to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy under the 2005 bankruptcy legislation. Many people have this misconception. It's true that bankruptcy became more expensive, if you use an attorney -- attorney fees doubled under the new law in many parts of the country. And it's also true that there are a few additional hoops to jump through. However, self-help is a reasonable option for most bankruptcy filers and the new hoops are easily navigated.

Probably the biggest misconception is that many people are barred from Chapter 7 because their income is too high. The new bankruptcy law did make filing more difficult for people whose incomes exceeded the median income for their state, but only between 5% and 10% of would-be filers face this problem. All the others slide easily under the median income bar.

The new bankruptcy law did make it more difficult to get rid of some types of debts -- private commercial loans, recent credit card charges, and debts incurred in a divorce or separation decree -- but the vast majority of debts that could be discharged under the old law can continue to be discharged under the new law, including credit card and medical debt, deficiencies from foreclosures and repossessions, and bank loans.

Under the new law, filers have to undergo two mandatory counseling sessions -- one before and one after filing -- but these have not proven to be a barrier to filing, at least after an initial confusion due to ignorance of the new law. Also, the new law requires some additional documentation, such as tax returns, wage stubs, or bank records, but once again, virtually all filers can handle these items.

There are many things to consider when deciding whether to file bankruptcy, but you should not be misled into believing that it is no longer feasible. For almost all filers, the new bankruptcy is very much like the old bankruptcy -- an essentially administrative process in which you disclose information, appear for one brief meeting with the trustee, and wait for your discharge papers to arrive in the mail 60 days later.

On October 6, it was announced that Countrywide Financial has agreed to the largest program ever to modify (reduce) the principal and interest of home loans as part of a lawsuit settlement with officials in 11 states. This was followed several days later by the passage of the federal bailout bill, which contains language likely to also result in widespread loan modifications. In other words, if you have defaulted on your mortgage, or are likely to default in the near future, help may be on the way.

This raises an interesting question for homeowners who are contemplating filing bankruptcy: What effect will bankruptcy have on a homeowner's ability to participate in a lender's home loan modification program? While only time will tell for sure, here are two important points to consider.

First, when you file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy (the most common kind), the title to your home technically passes to your bankruptcy estate and is "owned" by the bankruptcy trustee -- the official appointed to handle your case. Countrywide is telling its homeowners that it won't consider them eligible for a modification while a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case is pending. So filing bankruptcy might take you out of the action just at the wrong time.

Even more problematic, a Chapter 7 bankruptcy typically cancels the promissory note portion of your mortgage along with your other debt. However, even if you don't owe anything on the mortgage itself, the lender will still have a lien on the property in the amount of the mortgage, and will be entitled to foreclose on that lien. In other words, even though you don't owe anything on the mortgage after bankruptcy, you'll still have to pay on it if you want to keep your house. Confusing? You betcha.

So, what's my point? If you don't owe anything on your house after your mortgage, you won't have a mortgage to modify, and it's unlikely that the new programs will offer modifications for liens remaining after bankruptcy. The only way to avoid this result is to offer to reaffirm the mortgage as part of your bankruptcy case (that is, agree to a new mortgage) and hope the lender agrees. As part of this process you can attempt to negotiate different terms for the new mortgage that would be similar to what you would otherwise get outside of the bankruptcy process.

Bankruptcy used to be a really good remedy for people facing foreclosure. However, in the brave new world of mass mortgage modifications, bankruptcy may foreclose your ability to partake of the manna from heaven pouring forth from our nation's mortgage lenders. For this reason, if you think you might qualify to have your mortgage modified, either by Countrywide or by your lender, strongly consider holding off on your Chapter 7 bankruptcy until you know which way the mortgage modification winds are blowing. For more information on whether you might qualify to have your mortgage modified, find a non-profit HUD-certified housing counselor by calling 1 888 995-HOPE.